With a compact body style the Pre fits well in your hand & would appear to travel well in your pocket or purse. The downside to the compact size at first glance is the screen size as it is smaller than most touch screen smart phones, but the display is very clear with great graphic quality.
As I attempted to configure the phone for initial use I noticed the lack of navigational windows or keys. Until I researched the many gesture features of the phone I had a hard time moving through, between or even closing applications. Once I had knowledge of the gestures on the phone using them was almost fun as opposed to being just functional. The full slide out keyboard may be to a lot of people a great selling point if they don’t prefer the touch screen keyboard’s of other phones, but just like the phone it is very compact & a bit hard to use at first.
My first task was to setup an Exchange email account. After some searching for the correct menu, setup was fairly easy. You don’t need to be an IT professional to setup an exchange account, but do need a working knowledge of Exchange Email, Outlook Web Access, & your Company’s Network. Other account options that come standard are Gmail, Yahoo, & Facebook.
After first use, overall the phone has a functional design, looks good, & is fun to use. But the Keyboard is a bit small, the response time for opening programs can be slower then desired, & has a high learning curve for first time use.
Zach Hart – IT Manager
Tags: first look, hands on, new palm pre, palm, palm pre, sprint, touch screen
